‘Efficiency Forward'
In what could serve as a model for achieving large-scale energy-efficiency improvements, MIT and Boston-based utility NSTAR on Wednesday announced an ambitious collaboration that aims to slash the Institute’s electricity use by 15 percent over the next three years. The program, “MIT Efficiency Forward,” is expected to save MIT $50 million in energy costs over the next decade by incorporating a portfolio of energy-saving projects and approaches, including sustainable new construction, major equipment retrofits, behavior-change programs, electric and gas incentives and experimentation with new technologies. While the goal is for MIT to save at least 34 million kilowatt-hours — equivalent to the yearly amount of electricity consumed by more than 4,500 Massachusetts homes — by 2013, NSTAR officials said they expect the Institute will exceed that mark.“We are hoping this is really the first step, not only for MIT, but for other institutions and corporations throughout Massachusetts,” said Joseph R....